American composer Leo Sowerby (1895-1968) was one of the most distinguished figures in sacred music in the twentieth century and among only a few composers in modern times to specialize in sacred music, yet also to leave a significant mark in the concert world as well. Winning the Pulitzer Prize for his The Canticle of the Sun (1946), Sowerby was also the first winner, in 1921, of the Prix de Rome offered by the American Academy there. Despite his two symphonies, concertos and other large-scale serious works, Sowerby remains best known for his choral anthems, psalm settings, organ pieces and art songs.